That may not sound like a lot for your average high school football team. But over the years, not many people have expected the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind to win many football games. And really, they haven’t had a reason to think otherwise.

Playing hard has never been a problem for the Dragons, who defeated Indiana Deaf on Saturday to improve to 4-1, but sometimes there are too many obstacles to overcome before things like success and a winning culture can come under consideration.

This season, however, FSDB has flipped the script. Past the halfway point, the Dragons have undergone a complete transformation — certainly something beyond anything this current roster has experienced.

Four wins, one loss, and a landscape changed forever.

It wasn’t so long ago that the Dragons lost 27 games in a row. That streak extended from 2007 to 2010.

“I’ve been dreaming of a season like this,” Dragons quarterback Corey Koski said. “Our mind set has changed a lot. We’re not arguing with each other. There’s an expectation from each other on the team.”

Nobody takes it easy on FSDB because its players are deaf and some are partially blind, nor should they be shown any pity — they certainly don’t ask for it.

So, what has changed? The coach for one thing.

Eric LeFors took over after serving as an assistant to Johnny Samuels since 2002. He also had a brief stint as volleyball coach in between. Part of why he left for volleyball had to do with the culture.

“People thought it was a right for them,” LeFors said. “They’d take plays off in practice, talk back to the coaches — things that I had never seen. So when I took, one of the first things I did was make sure everyone knew that they were accountable for each other, including to me and their teachers.”

That accountability led to a few practical changes, such as a log book each player is required to fill out and have their teachers approve. Other things are more behavioral — how early they’re expected to arrive before practice; how they address their coaches. Even a weekly reminder that players have to shave and wear a tie to class on game days.

None of those things are remarkable for a football program rooted in success. Something that FSDB had to change.

“I had to kick off two players from the team who wouldn’t accept the way things were going to be,” LeFors said.

“They were good, definitely would have contributed to the team, but they just wouldn’t change. Other than that all of the guys wanted to succeed and just needed someone to show them how to do it.”

The players on the team have largely remained the same. That’s certainly the case for Koski, now in his fifth year as FSDB’s starting quarterback.

Before this season, Koski was battered and bashed on a weekly basis in losing effort after heartbreaking defeat. He carried the offense on his less-than-menacing frame with nothing to show for it.

This kind of sacrifice is a common theme on the team, and perhaps there isn’t a better example than senior Mikal Moore.

Moore began his career at FSDB playing fullback in their triple option, complementing Koski with his equally rough-and-tumble running style. But this offseason a new edition to the team was an equally skilled ball carrier, and instead of leaving one player on the bench, LeFors asked Moore to transition to the offensive line — unheard of for anyone used to getting consistent touches offensively.

“At first I complained a lot, but I knew I had to accept it for the team’s sake,” Moore said.

He would eventually return to fullback after the newcomer was sidelined by an injury; a welcomed move for Moore under unfortunate circumstances. But he still brings two jerseys to each game in case he has to go back to the offensive line.

But with sacrifice, and a change at the helm, has come the understanding and knowledge of a successful program. To be blunt, FSDB had plenty of learning opportunities in the past, and finally there’s been some payoff.

No longer do the Dragons find themselves on the painful end of running clocks and lopsided scores. They’ve given back a few beatings this season as well.

“I always feel that if you don’t like someone beating up on you, do something about it,” LeFors said. “Go stop them from scoring on you and go score some points. In a way it’s nice to return the favor to some of these teams, but that’s not our focus. Having that bad taste in your mouth can only get you so far, and we have to get beyond that to get as good as we can be.”

It may not be a tour of revenge, but one of the nice side effects of winning is making life a little bit easier. Practices are crisp and fast paced, but players seem happy to be there — excited for the week’s match up instead of fearing the margin of defeat that awaits them.

“It feels better coming to practice,” Moore said. “We get the same treatment from our classmates, but it seems like they’re more excited to come out to games and they actually expect us to win every game now. I like having that pressure on us.”

How it feels to play for FSDB now as opposed to in recent years is hard to understand, but not hard to guess. Four wins is just a good season for the Dragons.

But, crazy as it is, there are still five games left. And the Dragons like their chances.

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